NOAA Chief Scientist Steve Hammond and Okeanos Commander Joe Pica introduce us to the capabilities of the new NOAA research vessel, the Okeanos Explorer, as it sets out on its maiden voyage to Indonesia. ROV footage and maps courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

On March 1st, we connected live with scientists aboard the scientific drilling vessel the JOIDES Resolution off the coast of Antarctica. Meet geologists Rob Dunbar, Carlota Escutia, and Christina Riesselman and learn about their historic expedition to Antarctica that is helping reveal the history of Earth's climate and teaching us about our climate future.

Astrophysicist Paul Coleman and expert ocean navigator Kalepa Baybayan visited the Exploratorium as advisors to our Polynesian Navigation project—a large-scale Web resource (launching April 2010) that will feature the astounding navigation practices of the Pacific Islanders, who were expertly navigating the Pacific thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.
Paul Coleman works at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, where he concentrates on the large-scale structure of the universe. Kalepa Baybayan is an expert navigator who mentors Hawaiian youth in native navigation practices. Both men are native Hawaiians. We spoke with them about traditional navigation practices, the balance between science and spirituality from a native perspective, and the benefits of being grounded in one’s culture.

In May 2009, the ROV Jason captured these images of violent explosions of the West Mata volcano near Fiji. At almost 4,000 feet underwater, this is the deepest erupting volcano ever witnessed and captured on video. It's also the first time anyone has ever observed the formation of deep-ocean seafloor as it's happening.

Filmmaker Douglas Gayeton talks about the making of his film, "Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey" following a "mixed-reality" screening at the Exploratorium and on Exploratorium Island in the virtual world, Second Life, part of Cinema Arts event Fabricated Realities.

Overnight eclipse viewing party at Exploratorium begins July 31, 2008 at
9pm. and continues through Friday, August 1 in the wee hours.

San Francisco's Exploratorium brings its fifth eclipse expedition team to
remote Xinjiang Province in Northwestern China, very close to the Mongolian
border, where the Exploratorium will webcast a total solar eclipse live to
the world. Spend the Night at the Exploratorium! See the eclipse in person
live at the Exploratorium. Pack your sleeping bag and camp out on the museum
floor for an overnight eclipse party...or come to the viewing party in Second Life and enjoy the live webcast, exhibits, and music.

Webcasts made possible through the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Jim Clark Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation.

Bandwidth and infrastructure support for connectivity to the California Research and Education Network and to other Internet2-connected networks provided by the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).